


of love at first sight and brothers

by greysoo



Category: The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Blind date!AU, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-14
Updated: 2015-02-14
Packaged: 2018-03-12 08:35:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3350258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greysoo/pseuds/greysoo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Newt, Gally and Aris are brothers and Aris sets Newt up on a blind date. (slight Aris/Teresa) (Gally's the slightly overprotective elder brother and Aris is just the cheeky younger brother.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	of love at first sight and brothers

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Valentines Day!! I really wanted to post a fic on Valentines Day, so here it is!

“Newt, I’ve set you up on a blind date.” Aris declares upon storming into his brother’s room.

“You’ve what?” Newt looks up from the textbook he was reading in shock. His younger brother was all smiles, he had his “You’re not gonna like what I’ve done but you won’t regret it!” expression on and Newt knows well enough that it’s exactly the opposite. Whenever Aris comes up with something, it’s always something absurd - like that one time he thought it would be fun to hire a stripper for their grandpa’s 70th birthday. (How he has connections to hire a stripper will forever remain a mystery to the family.)

“I’ve set you up on a blind date, Newto!” Aris plops down on Newt’s bed. “You’re gonna like it, no doubt.”

Newt’s expression changed from being shocked by the sudden declaration to being confused. His eyebrow was crooked and his mouth was slightly agape. Why on earth would Aris set him up on a blind date all of the sudden without even asking him?

Seeing that there was no further reaction from his brother, Aris stars explaining. “The only time you ever exit this house is to attend classes,” he jerks his thumb to count. “And...that’s about it. Look, only one purpose! Therefore, as your lovable and considerate younger brother, I have set you up on a blind date!”

As if the gears in his head have started working again to process what Aris has said to him, Newt scoffs. “First of all, I’ve told you to stop calling me that and secondly, you’re aware that I do in fact have a life other than attending classes, right? You can attend that blind date yourself, I’m not interested.” Newt turned to face his textbook again. “Now, fuck off because I have a test to study for.”

“You’re missing the point.” Aris sighed and pulled Newt’s chair away from the table. “Fine then, tell me what do you do in that life of yours besides attending classes.”

“Well,” Newt crossed his arms. “I get lunch with Minho and Alby on some days.”

“And?” Aris prompts.

Newt thought hard and long of the things he does besides attending classes at university and going out with his two best friends. He really didn’t want to give in to Aris because that would mean Aris is right and he would have to go on that stupid blind date. His eyebrows furrowed and the wrinkles on his forehead deepened as he thinks of an answer. Why is this even more stressful than the Advanced Mathematics test he had two days ago?

“Aha!” Newt snaps his fingers. “I pick you up from the awful parties your friends host when you get drunk.” Newt smirked. He knew there would be nothing to top this because Aris has made him sworn into secrecy to never tell their mum or even their older brother, Gally about this, especially Gally. He would have probably nagged Aris for five days straight if he ever found out.

Aris’ eyes immediately widened and he broke into a whisper “Dammit, Newt. It was just twice okay-”

“Thrice.” Newt reminds with a smirk. “You were so drunk the third time you vomited on your friend’s cat.” Newt laughs as he recalls the incident. He arrived just in time to see the cat screech and jump onto the kitchen counter, knocking everything off whilst trailing it with vomit. It was a horrible sight but Newt can’t help but laugh every time he thinks of it.

“Please don’t bring that up again.” Aris cringed. “At least I offered to bathe it!”

“You offered it 3 days later!” Newt interjects with a laugh.

“It was still an offer! Anyway, there won’t be a fourth or fifth time anymore because of that incident but still, I owe you one.”

“Let me off the blind date, then.”

“Anything but that.” Aris sighs and throws himself onto the bed in frustration. “Let’s view it this way, I’m giving back to you by setting you up on this blind date. Honestly, the reason why I’ve set you up on this blind date is because you’re so cooped up in this,” he gestures around Newt’s room, thinking of a word. “In this - cubicle of yours. All you do is study and Minho and Alby are like, your only friends since you guys were what, 10? So why not just loosen up for one night and meet someone new? Go have fun and just enjoy yourself.”

Newt was once again at a loss for words. Never would he have thought that the reason Aris planned this was so that he could meet someone new and get away from the stress at university. True, university has been taking up most of his time and he was never quite the social butterfly causing him to lack a social life. He’s not gonna lie; he felt a little touched by his younger brother’s gesture because Aris has been nothing short of a nuisance for the entire 18 years of his life.

Newt’s expression softened and Aris took this as a step closer to him accepting the offer.

“Also, the guy’s an Engineering major.” Aris stage whispered. “Can I get a whoop, whoop!” He stands up from the bed and fist bumps the air.

Newt narrowed his eyes. “Alright, I’ll go.”

“Hell yeah! You’ll thank me for this Newto, trust me. This Saturday, 8pm.” Aris clicks his tongue and points both his forefingers at Newt. Newt convinced himself that it’ll be fun to meet someone new. Maybe he should really break down the walls built around him.

***

“You’re going on a what?!” Minho almost chokes on his drink.

“Is it really that surprising?” Newt asks before taking a bite of his burger.

“What’s surprising is that you agreed to go because let’s be real Newt, you’re not exactly the type to go on these dates.” Alby answered. “But I think it’s a good thing you agreed to go. You really need to get out there and meet more people. Who knows, that guy you’ll be meeting might be _the one_.” Alby teases but there was a hint of seriousness in his tone.

“Oh, ha ha,” Newt laughs sarcastically. “You guys say _the one_ like there really is ‘the one’ in this world. Plus, who meets ‘the one’ on blind dates anyway?” He says with air quotes.

“Aw, Newt. Always so pessimistic.” Minho pouts, feigning pity. “The one is never the one at first sight, it’s a gradual process. The more you spend time with him, the more you’ll find out if he’s ‘the one’ for you.”

“Whoa, never knew you had this side in you, Minho.” Alby said with an amused look.

“Yeah, since when were you this sappy?” Newt crooked an eyebrow.

“Finally, the love guru side of me has been acknowledged.” Minho shrugged and brushed his shoulders.

Newt and Alby groaned simultaneously.

“Anyway, just enjoy yourself tomorrow and don’t overthink it.” Alby pats Newt’s shoulder. “It’ll go well, don’t worry.”

Newt hummed in response. Suddenly, he felt nervous for tomorrow. It suddenly struck him that it was a date and not any random meeting. _A date._

***

It was 10 minutes to 8pm and Newt was on his way to the sushi place Aris gave him the address to. Aris looked more excited than him tonight, giving him a thumbs up and telling him “You’re the man, Newto!” before he left the house. Newt tried to pry him to describe or at least give hints to what his date looks like but all Aris told him was, “He looks like love at first sight, the man of your dreams.” which made Newt roll his eyes. This entire experience was very new to him. He was worried he might arrive later than his date. His date. It sounded a little weird yet fascinating to have someone be labeled as that. He pulls up at the parking lot and took a deep breath. He’s going to enjoy tonight and make the most of it.

After confirming his reservation, he was brought to his table. It was 8:05pm and he was relieved to know that he’s earlier than his date. At least he would have time to prepare himself. Every time he hears the staff greet new customers, he looks up in hopes of spotting his potential date before he gets seen. He hears the staff greeting a new customer and instinctively looks up. A guy who looked like he spent half of his life at the gym building his body entered the restaurant. He was probably 3 times bigger than Newt and he silently hoped he wasn’t his date. Thankfully, he was being led another table. Newt exhales in relief.

More people entered and left the restaurant. Most of the guys who entered the restaurant either came with company or were not of Newt’s liking. None of them seemed to fit the so called “love at first sight” criteria. Around 10 minutes has passed and Newt’s stomach was growling in hunger. Was it a thing to arrive later than the meeting time? Was he the only one who did not receive that notice? While he was lost in his own thoughts, another round of greetings were heard. Out of all the guys who came in, this guy has to be the most decent and attractive one. His hair was gelled up and he wore a dress shirt with jeans and sneakers. It was simple but he looked so dashing. Newt was enamored, his heartbeat started beating rapidly but he knew it couldn’t be him. Guys like him are obviously taken. To prove his point, a girl was walking behind him and Newt noticed he was holding on to a gift bag which was decorated with ribbons and fabric. _The girl must be so lucky,_ he mused.

However, the guy was being led to Newt’s direction and the girl who was trailing behind him was being led to another table. This couldn’t be true. The guy nodded at the waitress and he looked directly at Newt. Newt was stunned, the guy is definitely walking towards his table.

 _Fuck. Aris is right_ , he thought to himself.

Breaking away from his thoughts, he stood up and smiled at _his date_. He must have been quite a Samaritan in his past life to have a date this hot tonight. His date was definitely a hundred times more attractive up close. His face was clean shaven in contrast of his thick eyebrows which formed perfect arcs above his bambi brown eyes.

“Sorry I was late. The traffic was really bad but I got you a gift to make up for it.” The guy said upon reaching the table. “I hope I didn’t make you wait long.”

“Oh, no. It’s fine. Thank you so much.” Newt accepted the bag to see a box of chocolates inside. This guy is already a winner. “Um, I’m sorry I didn’t get you a gift. I didn’t know-”

“No, no. Don’t worry, it’s fine. I’m definitely the one that should get you the gift for arriving so late.” The guy smiles, showing pearly white teeth and Newt thinks he’s about to pass out any minute now. “Oh and I’m Thomas, by the way. Forgot to introduce myself.” Thomas chuckles and extends his hand for a handshake.

“I’m Newton but everyone calls me Newt.” Newt answers and shakes Thomas’ hand. Thomas’ hand was so warm and soft Newt felt like he could hold on to it forever. He immediately lets go of Thomas’ hand before he actually forgets to.

“Aris’ brother right? You guys have really interesting names.”

“Yeah, our parents named us after famous scientists and philosophers.” Newt answered. “To top it off, I’m a Physics major.”

Thomas’ eyes widened comically. “No way! That’s cool. Maybe you were Sir Issac Newton in your past life!”

Newt laughed. Thomas’ response was similar among many but his childlike reaction was definitely something Newt would never forget.

“Ah, I’m just plain ol’ Thomas, Engineering major at WCKD University.”

“You go to WCKD? I go there too!”

Thomas tilted his head in surprise. “How come I’ve never see you around campus? I would have definitely remembered you if I’ve seen you before. It’d be hard to forget a face so beautiful like yours.”

Newt blushed and cursed his hormones for reacting so fast. Was Thomas really flirting with him or was he just joking around? Thankfully, the waitress arrived at the right time to ask for their orders.

***

“Um, so, are you friends with Aris? You mentioned him earlier.” Newt asks in between eating sashimi.

“We’ve never really talked before but I knew him through my cousin, Teresa.”

“You’re Teresa’s cousin?” Newt asked in disbelief. Teresa is Aris’ best friend and both of them are practically attached at the hip. Suddenly it struck him that if she’s Thomas’ cousin and Aris’ partner in crime, could they have planned this date? Teresa has always mentioned how Newt is such a hermit that never leaves his shell. Everything cametogether like a jigsaw puzzle. Newt wouldn’t even be shocked if they paid Thomas for this date.

“Did Teresa and Aris set you up to this? Did they pay you for this? Don’t lie.” Newt asked in a serious tone.

Thomas was taken aback by the sudden question. Bubbly and shy Newt transformed into a merciless interrogator in a flash.

“I swear I don’t know anything. Teresa asked me if I was interested in going for a blind date and I said yes?” Thomas doesn’t even know why he sounded so unsure of himself when it was indeed the solid truth. Something about Newt’s stare made him weak all over, like he just took entire control of his body.

Newt’s expression softened. “And you agreed despite not knowing who your date will be?”

“Well, it is a blind date...” Thomas trailed.

Newt’s face turned bright red again. He wished there was a hole to swallow him up as a whole. How could he have asked such a dumb question?! He wasn’t sure why Thomas was so capable of making him blush so easily. He wasn’t sure why his heartbeat would accelerate every time he looks at Thomas. Could all these feelings mean something?

“You’re really adorable when you get flustered.” Thomas chuckled at the sight of Newt blushing. He felt a wave of relief upon seeing Newt taking down his intimidating facade.

They’ve spent the next hour or so getting to know each other more and exchanging embarrassing stories of Aris and Teresa. They had a lot of laughs and Newt enjoyed every moment of their conversation. Usually, he would take a long time to warm up to new people and conversations would always be left hanging with awkward silences. However, his date with Thomas tonight was different. They were able to converse comfortably, though Newt would sometimes be at a loss of words because Thomas would listen to him intently with one hand propped on his chin, sparkles in his eyes.

“Tonight was really fun.” Thomas said. They were outside the restaurant now, parting ways soon. “Meeting you was the highlight, of course.”

Newt tried his best to hide his smile. “Same. It’s been awhile since I’ve met someone new. I’m really glad I met you. I guess I have to thank my stupid brother for this, huh?”

Thomas laughed. It was short but hearty and Newt doesn’t know if it was possible to be so smitten over someone whom he just met a few hours ago.

“Can we exchange numbers? To, um, k-keep in contact?” Thomas stuttered as the tips of his ears turned slightly red.

Newt noticed that it was the first time tonight where Thomas was the shy one instead. Newt found it hard to believe that he would feel shy over asking for the exchange of numbers but he was completely fine and confident with all the flirtatious comments earlier.

“Sure.” Newt taps his phone number into Thomas’ phone.

“I’ll text you so you’ll get my number.” Thomas extends his hands for a hug. “I’ll see you around in campus, right?”

“Definitely.” Newt accepts the hug which lasted longer than it should.

On his way back home, Newt couldn’t help but smile throughout the entire drive home.

***

“So, how did it go?” Aris inquires almost immediately once Newt set foot inside the house.

“How did what go?” Gally asks from the living room. He turned his body around and rested his elbows on the sofa cushions so he could face Newt. “Someone looks cheerful!”

Newt panicked at the sight of his elder brother. If Gally ever found out he went out on a blind date, he’d be doomed. It’s not like Gally is an asshole or anything, but he’s just really overprotective over his younger siblings. Newt must admit that Gally is an amazing elder brother but he just tends shelter his younger brothers too much.

“Hey, sweetie. Where did you go?” It was his mum now.

All colour drained from his face. He was a horrible liar and honestly he would tell his mum where he went if Gally wasn’t around. Thankfully, Aris was around to save him from this mess. Lying was his forte, after all.

“Oh, he attended the Physics club’s monthly party.” Aris made up on the spot. He looked at Newt and prompted him to go on.

“Ah, yes. The Physics club’s monthly party. It was fun. We had dinner and....stuff. Yeah.”

“Oh, that’s great sweetie. By the looks of it, you must have enjoyed it!” his mum nodded. “Did you make new friends?”

“Um, yeah.” Newt answered. This wasn’t a lie. He did meet Thomas whom in actual fact is a new friend. “I met someone new. A friend, of course.” “

That’s great, Noot” Gally smiled.

Gally used to have a hard time pronouncing “Newt” when he was younger so “Noot” stuck around. Newt hated that nickname but he felt a wave of relief upon hearing it since Gally would only call him by “Newt” if he got into trouble.

“I’m really tired, I’m gonna go to my room.” He says quickly to avoid any more questions from his mum and Gally.

A chorus of hums and “Goodnights” were heard and Aris followed him up, mouth itching to ask him a thousand and one questions. He followed Newt into the room and closed the door behind him.

“So...?” Aris had a cheeky look on his face because he knew Newt definitely enjoyed the blind date with Thomas.

“You were right. I did like it.”

“You mean like _him_ , right!” Aris beamed. “Dang, I should really be a matchmaker. Or just be Cupid. With an arrow and bow and all those stuff.” He said while making archery gestures.

“I’m curious about one thing, though. Why him?” Newt felt his phone buzzing. It was a text from Thomas.

“Teresa told me she has a cousin who’s well, sexy, free and single. So I thought, why not?”

Newt looks up from his phone and gave Aris a questioning look.

“Okay, fine. To put it simply, we found out that both of you had a lot in common so we just hooked you guys up. Can’t believe you both never noticed each other, I mean, you both go to the same university! Teresa told me he’s quite the flirt if he’s really interested in someone. I bet he flirted with you a lot, huh?”

Newt didn’t answer. He was too busy smiling at his phone while tapping back a reply. Aris couldn’t believe it. His brother looked like a lovesick teenage girl.

“Man, Newto. You got it bad.” Aris shook his head. “Just remember me when you both get married, okay?”

No answer.

“Okay, Newto?” Aris said a little louder this time but Newt was lying on his bed now, fingers furiously tapping away. “I can’t believe this is what I get in return. Cupids are definitely underrated.” He sighed and left the room.

***

It’s been 3 weeks since that faithful night and Newt and Thomas were inseparable ever since. From getting lunch to having study dates at the library and hanging out on weekends, they did almost everything together. Thomas brought him to visit various places, introduced new friends to him and they would hang out in university whenever they had breaks. Newt even invited Thomas to get lunch with Minho and Alby and both of them took a liking to Thomas almost instantly. It was clear that they liked each other a lot and Newt actually felt that Thomas was _the one_ but he was afraid that these feelings were all one-sided.

“Where’s your lover boy?” Alby asks when he sees Newt walking to the table alone.

“Tommy?”

“Oh, you guys are on a nickname basis now?” Minho coos. “How cute!”

Newt groaned at Minho’s comment but his pink cheeks gave it away.

“Are you guys officially dating yet?” Alby takes a sip of his coffee.

“I don’t know.” Newt shrugs. “I mean, like Minho said, it’s a gradual process right? I don’t even know if Thomas likes me as much as I like him”

“Dude, he practically has hearts in his eyes when he looks at you!” Minho gestures at his eyes. “I’m sure you’re like the peanut better to his jelly, the butterflies to his tummy and not to forget he’s definitely the chills to your first date.”

“Minho, that’s the lyrics to Perfect Two.” Alby deadpans.

“That song is literally made for them!” Minho exclaims with both his palms against his cheeks. “Buddy, I think it’s time for you to confess.”

“Confess?” It wasn’t that Newt didn’t want to do it but he was scared. What if Thomas doesn’t feel the same way about him? What if it was just Thomas just saw them as best friends? Newt was in denial.

“I agree.” Alby nodded. “Just tell him what you feel.”

“What if he doesn’t like me back? What if that ruins our friendship? I don’t know guys,” Newt sighs. “I’m scared. Plus, my family doesn’t even know about this except for Aris. You guys know perfectly well that Gally would flip if he finds out.”

“Newt, if he loves you, he wouldn’t give a fuck about all that.” Minho states.

Minho had a point. If Thomas felt the same way about Newt, all of that wouldn’t matter.

“The love guru saves the day again!” Alby laughs. “Anyway, I know the perfect place for this. There’s gonna be a free screening of Silver Linings Playbook at the park in town tomorrow night.”

“Man, I don’t know what I’d do without the both of you.” Newt placed his arms on his friends’ shoulders.

“That’s what friends are for.” Minho grins. “Now, go get your lover boy!”

***

Thomas and Newt were among many who have turned up for the outdoor cinema. They sat a distance from the crowd so they could have a space of their own. Both of them sat on the picnic blanket Thomas offered to bring while munching on popcorn they bought earlier. Truthfully, Newt wasn’t paying full attention to the movie. His mind was wandering with thoughts. They were almost halfway through the movie and neither of them said a word. The silence was suffocating. As if he was uncomfortable with the silence too, Thomas scooted nearer to Newt. They were sat so close there was barely any space between them.

“Newt,” Thomas whispered. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you.”

“Huh?” Newt blurted out without thinking. His mind went totally blank. All the thoughts he had earlier disappeared into nothingness like the night sky. The sudden declaration made his heart accelerate at a speed so fast his body went numb.

“I really need to get off my chest otherwise I might just go crazy.” Thomas breathes. “On the night we first met I knew I liked you and I’ve fallen for you so hard ever since. In this short period of time, I realized how much you mean to me and I just want to make you happy. Seeing you smile and just being with you ignites something in me, you know? I don’t know how else to put it, but Newt, I love you.”

Newt just stared at Thomas, too stunned to even react. Thomas took all of the words right out of his mouth. It took a moment for him to believe that this wasn’t a dream, wasn’t a fantasy, wasn’t a figment of his imagination. It was real.

Newt breaks into a smile. “Tommy, I love you too.” He leaned in and kissed Thomas on the lips. It didn’t even take a second for Thomas to kiss him back. The kiss was short and sweet, symbolizing the start of their relationship. They broke away from the kiss and Thomas found his way into Newt’s hand, intertwining their fingers together. Both of them smiled at each other, feeling content with just the mere presence of the other and knowing that they belong to each other.

***

“Aris, wanna have a go at the shooting booth?” Gally gestured towards the booth with blown up balloons all over the wall along with various gifts hung around it. There was a fun fair being held in their town so Gally decided to bring Aris over. He was going to ask Newt to come along too but Newt had already left the house before he could even ask him. Newt hasn’t been home much lately and that worried him but Aris insisted that Newt has his own plans and was busy with school. Still, Gally felt something was off.

“Sure! I’m aiming for that archery set.” Aris says as Gally paid for their turns. Gally raised an eyebrow and had an amused look on his face. Since when was Aris into archery?

It took them almost 10 turns to get the archery set since Aris was persistent on getting it. (He could be quite the stubborn and whiny kid if he wanted to.) Aris beamed when he got hold of the archery set and while he was inspecting it, he saw two familiar faces. It was Newt and Thomas, hand in hand, at the cotton candy booth.

 _Ha! Look at those two lovebirds. I’m definitely a certified cupid_ , he thought. He was about to call them out when he realized he was with Gally.

“Shit.” he muttered under his breath. “Gally, let’s go back home and try out this archery set, yeah?” He pulled onto his brother’s arm towards the opposite direction.

“But we just got here and there’s still so many booths and rides to visit.”

“I know, but, uh,” Aris stammered. His eyes kept darting between Gally and Newt in hopes that neither of them would spot each other. Gally must have noticed Aris’ eye movement so he turned around to see what Aris was looking at.

“Oh! Cotton candy!” Gally cried excitedly. “Let’s get that first.”

Before Aris could stop him, Gally has already made his way to the cotton candy booth. Aris wished he had the power to turn back time because this is not going to turn out well. He knew the world would end one day but good God, why today!

“Two cotton candy, please.”

Newt perked up at the familiar voice and both of them had eye contact at the same time. Gally was surprised to see Newt but what made him even more stunned and speechless was the fact that Newt was holding hands and being too close with someone who he has never seen Newt with before. His eyebrows furrowed and he placed his hands on his hips.

Aris came in between them. “What a coincidence! Am I right!” he laughed awkwardly, trying to break the tension.

Thomas broke into cold sweat as he noticed the guy glaring daggers at him. It all hit him who this guy with satanic eyebrows was - it was Gally. He’s heard countless stories of Gally and what he’s capable of doing, especially when it comes to his younger brothers.

Newt immediately lets go of Thomas’ hand. “Gally, Aris! What a coincidence, indeed.” He forced a smile. “Uh, this is Tomm - I mean Thomas, a...friend.” Newt added the last bit hastily.

“Thomas, eh?” Gally walked closer towards Thomas. “Well, why don’t we all get lunch with this friend of yours and have a friendly chat?”

***

Thomas offered to buy lunch for all of them and that left the 3 brothers at the table alone.

“I think you have some explaining to do.” Gally crossed his arms against his chest.

“Thomas is a really g-g-good f-f-friend” Newt stuttered. Beads of perspiration formed on his forehead and he doesn’t know if it’s from the heat or from the fact that Gally is staring at him.

“Oh God,” Aris throws his hand in frustration. “Look, Gally. Newto has no fault in this. I’ve set them up on a blind date-” He paused when Gally raised an eyebrow at him. “Yeah, I got them together, but that’s another story. Point is, so what if he has a boyfriend? It’s not like he’s 8 years old! He’s 20 for fuck’s sake and what’s wrong with him having a boyfriend?”

Newt braved himself to meet Gally’s gaze. Unlike what he expected, there was no scowl or any hint of anger on his face. He had a blank expression on and Newt couldn’t tell what he was thinking. For all he knew, Gally could be thinking up a way to split them up.

“Newt.” Gally sighs after a moment. Newt was alarmed because Gally called him by his name instead of his nickname which meant one thing only - shit just got real. “Judging by the fact that I don’t know of this matter, I’m sure mum doesn’t too.”

Newt nodded without saying a word, bracing himself for the worst.

“Why didn’t you tell us? How long have you been keeping this as a secret for? I knew something was up ever since you started going out more than usual.” Gally said in a concerned tone. “You should have just told us, ya know instead of just sneaking away all the time. It’s not like we wouldn’t accept him.”

“Wait - you’re not mad?” Newt asked in disbelief. He expected the worst out of this situation but what’s happening is far from what he expected. (He might have pictured some table throwing and shouting but that’s probably because he watched too many reality shows.)

“Why would I be mad? Gally scrunched up his face but then sighed upon realization. “I know, I know, I’m really overprotective over you guys-”

“Aha! So you are aware of it!” Aris exclaimed with his forefinger pointed towards Gally.

“I guess I’ve come to realize that both of you are no longer kids, I mean Sonya pointed that out but-”

“I knew I liked Sonya for a reason!” Aris interrupts with a grin. “You better marry her, bro.”

“Quit interrupting me!” Gally ordered, but there was a teasing smile on his face. “I guess ever since dad left us, I wanted to, you know, protect you guys and be the closest thing to a father figure. I’m sorry if I overdid it.”

“Aw, Gally.” Newt said after a momental pause. He suddenly felt bad because Gally has always meant well over his actions. He reached over to Gally and hugged him. Aris did the same too. “Dammit, you’re the best brother in the world.” Newt punched him on the arm lightly.

“Lunch is here!” Aris declared when he saw Thomas carrying bags of McDonalds towards their direction.

“McDonalds?” Gally said. “He has sense. I like him already.”

“I’ve liked him ever since the day we met.” Newt sighs.

Both his brothers looked at him weirdly.

“What? It was love at first sight!”

“Newto, nothing can beat _my_ love at first sight.” Aris smiled cheekily. “I call her, The Cheeseburger and I’m going to devour her in a few minutes.”

“No.” Gally groaned. “Aris, just. No.”

***

After having lunch, Aris suggested to get ice-cream for dessert. Newt decided to go along with him because he doesn’t trust Aris when it comes to holding an ice-cream cone, let alone 4 ice-cream cones and so Thomas and Gally were left alone.

Though they had small talk earlier, it was still awkward between the both of them. Thomas only dared to make eye-contact with Gally once throughout their conversation earlier. Gally’s presence itself was intimidating.

“Hey, Thomas.” Gally said to break the silence.

“Yeah?” Thomas responded, looking anywhere but at Gally.

“Dude, am I really that frightening?” Gally laughed. Thomas doesn’t know if Gally’s joking or if it was an actual question but he decided to play it safe.

“Oh, no, no. You’re not.” Thomas smiled and shook his head and hands to emphasize.

“It’s the eyebrows right?” Gally pointed at his eyebrows which were furrowed despite the fact that he was laughing a few seconds ago.

“Yeah.” Thomas answered honestly with a straight face.

“Well, it sucks that I can’t get into the world record for the most satanic eyebrows,” he joked. “C’mon, don’t be so tensed up,” Gally shook Thomas’ shoulder lightly. “I’m pretty sure we’re going to meet each other often now and we can’t be awkward like this, right?”

Thomas smiled a genuine smile at Gally. “Thanks, man. For accepting me, us, and just not flipping out.” He extends his hand for a handshake.

“You genuinely love Newt, right?” Gally questions as he accepts the handshake.

“Yes, of course. I absolutely do.” Thomas answered sincerely.

“Good that.” Gally nodded as he saw the sincerity in Thomas’ eyes. Gally could see it for himself that Thomas truly loves Newt and Newt looks much more happier ever since he met Thomas. After all, if Newt’s happy, he’s happy. “Welcome to the family, Thomas.”

***

After hours of playing games at booths and going on various rides, they’ve decided to call it a day. Aris and Gally decided to go home first so Thomas and Newt could have some time alone.

“So, did Gally tell you anything when we were gone earlier?” Newt asks. They were seated opposite each other on one of the benches by the sea.“You guys didn’t sit in silence the entire time we were gone, right?”

“Nah, we talked.” Thomas said. “Gally’s a really nice guy.”

“Is he?” Newt smirks and hugged his knees to his chest. “I’m glad both of you are getting along.”

“Yeah, but you’re a whole lot more nicer.” He pulls Newt closer to him by his ankles. “And I like you so much more.”

Newt placed his hands around Thomas’ neck and pulled him in for a kiss. The sun was setting, giving its last glow before rising in the East but if you looked hard enough, you’d see two boys so madly in love the sun wished it could stay longer to shine a ray on how beautiful love could be.

***

“Pay up!” Aris opened his palm towards Teresa which earned a glare from her. “See, I’ve told you so.”

Teresa unwillingly pulled out $20 from her purse and smacked it on Aris’ palm. “I’m happy for them but I’m upset I lost to you. I hate losing, especially to you but that’s okay because the tables have turned.” She smiled slyly. “You, Aris, now owe me $50.”

“No fucking way! They didn’t!” Aris retorted but his eyes shone with interest. “Are you serious?”

“He’s your brother, you ought to know better, no? You know the road trip they’ve embarked on a few days ago? Well, I went to Thomas’ house a day before they hit the road and snooped around his luggage. I’m sure you know well enough what I found.” Her face was full of mischievousness as she shoved her phone onto Aris’ face.

“Holy -.” Aris gasped. “Dang, Thomas is getting it in!”

“I swear, you always say the wrong things at the wrong time.” Teresa groaned. “Anyway, I’ll be taking my $20 back so you owe me another $30 now. Treat me to lunch and I’ll clear it off because I know well enough you won’t pay me.”

“Good call.” Aris nodded. “Y’know sometimes I wonder why we’re not dating.”

“Speak of another word and I’ll kill you right now so I can sell your organs to the black market and earn big bucks.” Teresa threatens.

“Aw, that’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me.” Aris grabs Teresa’s hand and leads her to the Japanese restaurant nearby. Oddly, Teresa doesn’t let go.

**Author's Note:**

> Personally, I really liked the idea of Newt, Gally and Aris being brothers so this fic came about. Honestly, I'm not that satisfied with this one and I rewrote it so many times lol I almost didn't post this one but I really wanted to post something, especially on Valentines Day since so many people left kudos on my previous fics! Thank you!! Ah, hopefully this wasn't disappointing?


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